HARDWICK – At the beginning of a new year it is not unusual to reflect on what around us has changed in the past twelve months. How much taller are our children or grandchildren? How much has that apple tree grown? How many more miles are on the odometer? How many more grey hairs are there? Perhaps those reflections harken back further: to a new year some decades ago, against which we measure more than inches or miles.
In the years that I served as a Jeudevine trustee, and now fill a role as an occasional columnist and weekly volunteer, I have marveled at the remarkable change, across my lifetime, to the definition of both library and librarian.
As a child in the 1950s and 1960s, a weekly trip to the library was part of our family routine. A parent would leave me in the children’s section and head to the adult room. It was a silent world, so silent that any stray sound, such as a cough, or a book falling to the floor, resulted in a lifting of heads by all within earshot. Conversations at the circulation desk were carried out in whispers. There were no other conversations. Upon returning to the outside world it seemed momentarily strange to speak in one’s normal voice.
Libraries were all about books. There were no books on tape, e-books, DVDs or arts and crafts workshops. One went to the library to borrow books, and occasionally to sit and read there, if parents were running errands.
Were a person to time-travel from a mid-twentieth century library to our Jeudevine today, they would recognize the stacks of books and the comfortable chairs, but they would be shocked at the ongoing conversations held in normal speaking voices, and astounded at the even louder volume of conversation that fills our children’s spaces. Borrow a movie: unheard of! Borrow a moisture meter, a Strider-bike, a museum pass. Wow!
Similarly, a librarian from that earlier time would be overwhelmed at the job description. Beyond helping us find books (and DVD’s), Diane, Kevin and Rachel oversee a variety of events, ranging from author presentations, to film-screenings, to fabrics-art classes, to cooking instruction, to storytime sessions. They help patrons navigate the internet to fill out applications for food assistance or other state services. They answer the phone for Neighbor-to-Neighbor to help others with transportation, or clearing an icy walkway.
What’s up in the coming weeks? Last month I reported on Jodi Lew Smith’s new novel, “Asa James.” Next month she will hold a discussion group about the book on the evening of Thursday February 5, at 6:30 p.m.. The library has two copies of the book available to borrow. (If you have read it and can lend the Jeudevine your copy, please do.) All are welcome. There is no requirement to have read the book in advance.
The Vermont Humanities Council has recently sent about two dozen copies of “The Light Pirate” to the Jeudevine. It is the current choice for the Vermont Reads program, now in its twenty-third year. The story it tells is about Wanda, who lives in a coastal Florida town confronting dramatic weather changes that are resulting in rising sea levels. Wanda must adapt to the cataclysmic atmospheric patterns.
The Jeudevine will hold two events connected to the statewide reading collaboration. On February 12, at 6 p.m., it will present “Facing a Flooded World.” Shawna Trader of “Barre Up” will share information about several community building projects under way in her town, which has also experienced catastrophic flooding in recent years. Through such programs the town has begun to develop a resilience to the devastating storms.
In March, the Jeudevine will host a book discussion group on “The Light Pirate” with the date and time to be announced later.
On the youth front, There is a new baking program that will meet on the third Wednesday of each month, beginning January 21 at 3 p.m. This month’s project is soda cupcakes.
The current ukulele class is full. If you missed out, stay tuned as there may be future sessions.
